IEhttp://www.maximumpc.com/taxonomy/term/1820/
enMicrosoft: We Have No Current Plans to Port IE Over to Android or iOShttp://www.maximumpc.com/microsoft_we_have_no_current_plans_port_ie_over_android_or_ios_2014
<!--paging_filter--><h3><img src="/files/u69/ie_windows_phone.jpg" alt="IE on Windows Phone" title="IE on Windows Phone" width="228" height="221" style="float: right;" />"Oh no!," cried a single Android user</h3>
<p>You can run Microsoft Office on multiple platforms, and the same goes for some of the other products and services the Redmond outfit offers, such as OneDrive and Skype. With that kind of attention being paid to cross-compatibility, might we expect Microsoft to release its Internet Explorer browser on other OSes as well? Not in the near future. As it stands, <strong>Microsoft isn't planning to port IE over to Android or iOS</strong> in the mobile space.</p>
<p>That revelation came by way of a <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2dk60t/we_build_internet_explorer_i_know_right_ask_us/" target="_blank">Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session</a> featuring engineers from Microsoft's IE platform team. At one point in the conversation, Microsoft's Charles Morris fielded a question about whether IE would be ported to Android or iOS where there's much more market share to exploit.</p>
<p>"Right now, we're focused on building a great mobile browser for Windows Phone and have made some great progress lately. So, no current plans for Android/iOS," <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2dk60t/we_build_internet_explorer_i_know_right_ask_us/cjq9bk7?context=3" target="_blank">Morris said</a>. "We are committed to improving our own engine. We love the fact that the web was built on multiple competing (yet interoperable) platforms and believe that this is how it is going to move forward into the future!"</p>
<p>It's somewhat of a curious decision for Microsoft. The company's Windows Phone platform is losing ground, having dropped to a 2.5 percent share of the smartphone market last quarter, versus Android and iOS, which collectively account for more than 9 out of 10 smartphones.</p>
<p><em>Follow Paul on <a href="https://plus.google.com/+PaulLilly?rel=author" target="_blank">Google+</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/paul_b_lilly" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Paul.B.Lilly" target="_blank">Facebook</a></em></p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/microsoft_we_have_no_current_plans_port_ie_over_android_or_ios_2014#commentsandroidbrowserIEInternet Exploreriosmicrosoftmobilewindows phoneNewsFri, 15 Aug 2014 19:25:50 +0000Paul Lilly28358 at http://www.maximumpc.comMicrosoft Flips the Switch on Developer Channel for Internet Explorerhttp://www.maximumpc.com/microsoft_flips_switch_developer_channel_internet_explorer_2014
<!--paging_filter--><h3><img src="/files/u69/ie_dev.jpg" alt="IE Dev" title="IE Dev" width="228" height="132" style="float: right;" />Following in the footsteps of the competition</h3>
<p>If you want to know what the next version of Mozilla's Firefox browser will be like, you can opt for the beta or even Aurora release. The same is true of Google's Chrome browser -- there are different channels, including Stable, Beta, Dev, and Canary (the only one that runs parallel to the others without any tweaking). But what about Internet Explorer? Taking a page from the competition, <strong>Microsoft today announced the release of the Internet Explorer Developer Channel</strong>, a fully functional browser designed to give web developers and early adopters an early look at the web platform and upcoming features.</p>
<p>Like Google's Canary build for Chrome, IE Developer Channel can run independently of IE11, so you can take a test drive into the future without giving up your daily (stable) driver. The Dev build is supposed to have all the same features as IE11 too, and of course new ones that are still being worked on.</p>
<p>Speaking of which, you'll find an enhanced debugging experience in the Dev version, along with richer analysis capabilities, improved navigation with more keyboard shortcuts and a new header notification, and more. For gamers, the Dev build also offers support for the emerging Gamepad API standard that lets you use JavaScript to add gamepad support to web apps and games. You can try it out now by attaching an Xbox 360 controller.</p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2014/06/16/announcing-internet-explorer-developer-channel.aspx" target="_blank">Microsoft promises</a> this is the first of many more Developer Channel releases. In the meantime, the first one is available now for both <a href="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=402453" target="_blank">Windows 8.1</a> and <a href="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=402275" target="_blank">Windows 7 SP1</a> customers running IE11.</p>
<p><em>Follow Paul on <a href="https://plus.google.com/+PaulLilly?rel=author" target="_blank">Google+</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/paul_b_lilly" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Paul.B.Lilly" target="_blank">Facebook</a></em></p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/microsoft_flips_switch_developer_channel_internet_explorer_2014#commentsbrowserdeveloper channelIEInternet ExplorermicrosoftonlineNewsMon, 16 Jun 2014 16:39:05 +0000Paul Lilly28015 at http://www.maximumpc.comMicrosoft Fast Tracks Urgent Internet Explorer Update to Fix Zero Day Vulnerabilityhttp://www.maximumpc.com/microsoft_fast_tracks_urgent_internet_explorer_update_fix_zero_day_vulnerability2013
<!--paging_filter--><h3><img src="/files/u69/ie_fix_it.jpg" alt="IE Fix It" title="IE Fix It" width="228" height="195" style="float: right;" />IE flaw could allow hackers to wreak havoc remotely</h3>
<p>Be advised that if you're running <a href="http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/internet_explorer"><strong>Internet Explorer</strong></a> version 8 or 9, you could be a sitting duck for a remote code execution attack. Microsoft is aware of the zero day flaw and has issued an emergency Band-Aid as a temporary fix as it continues to investigate the issue. Applying Microsoft's "CVE-2013-3893 MSHTML Shim Workaround" prevents attackers from being able to exploit the security flaw until a permanent fix is rolled out.</p>
<p>"The vulnerability is a remote code execution vulnerability. The vulnerability exists in the way that Internet Explorer accesses an object in memory that has been deleted or has not been properly allocated," <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/advisory/2887505" target="_blank">Microsoft explains</a> in Security Advisory 2887505. "The vulnerability may corrupt memory in a way that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user within Internet Explorer. An attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website."</p>
<p>According to security outfit <a href="http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2013/09/18/internet-explorer-zero-day-exploit-prompts-microsoft-to-publish-emergency-fix-it/" target="_blank">Sophos</a>, exploitation of the security flaw has already been witnessed in the wild. Though Microsoft is only calling out IE 8 and 9, Sophos says that doesn't necessarily mean users of IE 6, 7, 10, and 11 are safe.</p>
<p>Once Microsoft is finished investigating the severity of the issue, it will either issue an out-of-cycle security update or roll it into the next round Patch Tuesday updates in October, the latter of which is still several weeks away. What's available now is called a Fix It update, which are designed to offer users protection until a more thorough patch is released.</p>
<p><em>Follow Paul on <a href="https://plus.google.com/113266473617484509826?rel=author" target="_blank">Google+</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/paul_b_lilly" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Paul.B.Lilly" target="_blank">Facebook</a></em></p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/microsoft_fast_tracks_urgent_internet_explorer_update_fix_zero_day_vulnerability2013#commentsIEInternet ExplorermicrosoftSecurityupdatezero dayNewsWed, 18 Sep 2013 16:00:51 +0000Paul Lilly26332 at http://www.maximumpc.comInternet Explorer is Killing Chrome in Browser Wars, But Also Losing - Huh?http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/internet_explorer_killing_chrome_browser_wars_also_losing_-_huh2013
<!--paging_filter--><h3><img src="/files/u69/chrome_ie_fight.jpg" alt="Chrome IE Boxing" title="Chrome IE Boxing" width="228" height="153" style="float: right;" />Conflicting data makes it difficult to gauge the browser landscape.</h3>
<p>Depending on which data collection service you trust the most, Microsoft's <a href="http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/internet_explorer"><strong>Internet Explorer</strong></a> is either wiping the floor with Google's Chrome browser, or getting spanked by the relative newcomer. Starting with the former, <a href="http://www.netmarketshare.com/browser-market-share.aspx?qprid=1&amp;qpcustomb=0&amp;qpsp=148&amp;qpnp=25&amp;qptimeframe=M" target="_blank">NetMarketShare</a> has IE way out in the lead with a 55.81 percent share of the desktop browser market, virtually unchanged from last month and up a little more than a percentage point from a year ago.</p>
<p>In that same time frame, NetMarketShare's data shows Chrome on the decline, going from being the go-to browser 18.85 percent of the time to just 16.35 percent currently. Looking at the data set, you could conclude that Chrome peaked in 2012 and is now settling into a plateau. And forget about catching up to IE, Chrome still trails Firefox, which is in second place with a 20.3 percent share of the browser market.</p>
<p>Don't care for the story that's unfolding at NetMarketShare? Head on over to <a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-monthly-201204-201305" target="_blank">StatCounter</a> and you'll read an entirely different view of the online landscape. StatCounter has Chrome out in the lead with a 41.43 percent share of the browser market, up a little more than 10 percent versus a year ago. IE, on the other hand, continues to slide, goiing from a 34.07 percent share of the browser market a year ago to 27.39 percent currently, which is still ahead of Firefox at 19.73 percent.</p>
<p>How can these two firms report such drastically different figures? It has to do with the way each one collects data. NetMarketShare collects data from browsers of site visitors to its on-demand network of HitsLink Analytics and SharePost Clients, giving it a pool of 40,000 websites around the world to work with. StatCounter, on the other hand, uses tracking code installed on more than 3 million sites globally.</p>
<p>That's all well and good, but what are YOU using to browse the web these days?</p>
<p><em>Follow Paul on <a href="https://plus.google.com/113266473617484509826?rel=author" target="_blank">Google+</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/paul_b_lilly" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Paul.B.Lilly" target="_blank">Facebook</a></em></p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/internet_explorer_killing_chrome_browser_wars_also_losing_-_huh2013#commentsapplebrowserchromefirefoxGoogleIEInternetInternet ExplorermicrosoftMozillanetmarketshareonlineOperaSafaristatcounterNewsThu, 02 May 2013 16:14:50 +0000Paul Lilly25468 at http://www.maximumpc.comMicrosoft Releases a Brace of Out-of-Band Patches for Internet Explorerhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_releases_brace_out--band_patches_internet_explorer
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u138055/ie10_tile.jpg" width="228" height="229" style="float: right;" />Friday saw the release of a critical out-of-band patch for <strong><a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/products/ie/home">Internet Explorer</a></strong> from <a href="http://www.microsoft.com">Microsoft</a>. The security update (<a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms12-063">MS12-063</a>) addresses as many as five vulnerabilities, but none more important than the critical zero-day bug (CVE-2012-4969) that was made public by French researchers earlier this week, and one which even prompted Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) to issue an advisory requesting German citizens to stay away from IE. The Redmond-based company has also released a security update for Adobe Flash IE 10.</p>
<p>Rated “critical” for IE6, IE7, IE8, and IE9 on Windows and “moderate” for IE6, IE7, IE78, and IE9 on Windows servers, the said security update not only patches the much talked about execCommand Use After Free (CVE-2012-4969) vulnerability, but also the cloneNod Use after Free flaw (CVE-2012-2557), the LayOut Use After Free bug (CVE-2012-2548), the Event Listener Use After Free bug (CVE-2012-2546), and the OnMove Use After Free flaw (CVE-2012-1529).</p>
<p>“Today we released Security Update MS12-063 to address limited attacks against a small number of computers through a vulnerability in Internet Explorer versions 9 and earlier,” the company said in a blog post on the <a href="http://blogs.technet.com/b/msrc/archive/2012/09/21/microsoft-releases-ms12-063-cumulative-security-update-for-internet-explorer.aspx">Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) blog</a>. “In addition to addressing the issue described in Security Advisory 2757760, MS12-063 also resolves four privately disclosed vulnerabilities that are currently not being exploited.”</p>
<p>With Adobe Flash being built into Internet Explorer 10, the responsibility of keeping the Flash Player updated on Windows 8 is now Microsoft’s. To this end, Microsoft on Friday released <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/advisory/2755801">Security Advisory 2755801</a> that addresses a bunch of flaws in Flash in IE10 on Windows 8. The original plan was to patch these vulnerabilities after the release of Windows 8, but the company changed its mind earlier this month, saying “our goal is to make sure the Flash Player in Window 8 is always secure and up-to-date, and to align our release schedule as closely to Adobe's as possible.”</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_releases_brace_out--band_patches_internet_explorer#commentsAdobe FlashbrowserbugCriticalIEie10Internet Explorermicrosoftout-of-band patchSecurityzero-dayNewsSun, 23 Sep 2012 14:41:31 +0000Pulkit24204 at http://www.maximumpc.comBrowser Wars: End of August 2012 Editionhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/browser_wars_end_august_2012_edition
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/browsers.jpg" width="228" height="165" style="float: right;" />Another month is in the books, and that means another thirty-some days of browser share data to crunch and analyze. One of the problems with doing that, however is that different stat trackers report conflicting numbers. <strong><a href="http://www.netapplications.com/">Net Applications</a> </strong>(NetMarketShare), for example, shows Chrome closing out the summer in&nbsp; third place, sitting behind Firefox (second) and Internet Explorer (first) as the most used browsers on the planet. But if you head over to <a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/"><strong>StatCounter</strong></a>, Chrome is out in front.</p>
<p>As we've <a href="http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/google_chrome_becomes_worlds_most-used_web_browser_kinda">explained before</a>, the disparity boils down to how each tracking firm collects data. StatCounter examines page views from 3 million websites, while Net Applications focuses on daily unique visitors from more than 40,000 sites. Is one better than the other? That's up for debate.</p>
<p>In any event, Net Applications has IE continuing to lose market share. In the past two years, IE has gone from commanding a 61.45 percent of the global browser market to 53.6 percent. In that same time frame, Firefox has dropped from 23.69 percent to 20.05 percent, while Chrome has gained considerable ground, climbing from 8.24 percent to 19.13 percent.</p>
<p>According to StatCounter, things shake out a little differently. StatCounter has Chrome leading all other browsers with a 33.59 percent of the market at the end of August 2012. IE is close behind at 32.85 percent, followed by Firefox at 22.85 percent.</p>
<p><em>Follow Paul on <a href="https://plus.google.com/113266473617484509826" target="_blank">Google+</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/paul_b_lilly" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Paul.B.Lilly">Facebook</a></em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/browser_wars_end_august_2012_edition#commentsbrowserchromefirefoxGoogleIEInternetInternet ExplorermicrosoftMozillanetmarketshareonlineSoftwarestatcounterNewsMon, 03 Sep 2012 17:38:11 +0000Paul Lilly24103 at http://www.maximumpc.comWindows RT's Browser Handling is a "Return to the Digital Dark Ages," Mozilla Sayshttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/windows_rts_browser_handling_return_digital_dark_ages_mozilla_says
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/win_8_firefox.jpg" width="228" height="189" style="float: right;" />Mozilla isn't mincing words when it comes to Microsoft's decision to limit or restrict the behavior of non-Internet Explorer browsers in Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 intended for systems with ARM hardware inside. In a semi-angry blog post, Mozilla raged against reports that Internet Explorer will be the only browser allowed to run in the privileged 'Windows Classic' environment, calling the move "an unwelcome return to the digital dark ages where users and developers didn't have browser choices." Ouch.</p>
<p>"It’s reported that Windows RT (the name Microsoft has given to Windows running on the ARM processor) will have two environments, a Windows Classic environment and a Metro environment for apps. However, Windows on ARM prohibits any browser except for Internet Explorer from running in the privileged 'Windows Classic' environment," Mozilla explains. "In practice, this means that only Internet Explorer will be able to perform many of the advanced computing functions vital to modern browsers in terms of speed, stability, and security to which users have grown accustomed. Given that IE can run in Windows on ARM, there is no technical reason to conclude other browsers can’t do the same."</p>
<p>The way Mozilla sees it, Microsoft's strong-arm behavior effectively excludes competing browsers from the platform, giving users just a single viable browser choice when running Windows in an ARM environment. If the reports are true and Microsoft doesn't reverse course, it could find itself defending its decision in court.</p>
<p>"Because Windows on ARM relies upon so many traditional Windows assets, including brand, code, footprint, and experience, the decision to exclude other browsers may also have antitrust implications," Mozilla said. "If Windows on ARM is simply another version of Windows on new hardware, it also runs afoul of the <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/competition/antitrust/cases/dec_docs/39530/39530_2671_3.pdf">EC browser choice commitments</a> and seems to represent the very behavior the <a href="http://www.justice.gov/atr/cases/ms-settle.htm">DOJ-Microsoft settlement</a> sought to prohibit."</p>
<p>Mozilla didn't come out and say it would be the one filing suit, or urging for an investigation, but if nothing changes between now and the time Windows 8 is released, it's a pretty safe bet Microsoft will have some explaining to do.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/windows_rts_browser_handling_return_digital_dark_ages_mozilla_says#commentsbrowserfirefoxIEInternetInternet ExplorermicrosoftMozillaoperating systemOSSoftwareWindowswindows 8NewsThu, 10 May 2012 14:06:59 +0000Paul Lilly23300 at http://www.maximumpc.comMotorola Convinces German Court to Ban Windows 7, Xbox 360 Consolehttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/motorola_convinces_german_court_ban_windows_7_xbox_360_console
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/german_ban_win7.jpg" width="228" height="137" style="float: right;" />Motorola Mobility has won an injunction against several Microsoft properties in Germany, including Windows 7, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, and even the Xbox 360 game console. After initially postponing the ruling, Judge Dr. Holger Kircher of the Landgericht Mannheim (Mannheim Regional Court) issued his ruling on four of Motorola's complaints against Microsoft, ultimately awarding the mobile device maker an injunction against Microsoft on two patents.</p>
<p>Foss Patents, which first reported on the ruling, says the patents pertain to an "adaptive motion compensation using a plurarlity of motion compensators" and an "adaptive compression of digital video data." These are a pair of old patents that are tied into the H.264 video codec standard.</p>
<p>Winning the injunction came easy, according to Foss Patents, and the real challenge will be in actually enforcing the ban of Microsoft's four popular products named above. It's a given that Microsoft will appeal ruling, and by doing so, Motorola would be on the hook for any damages that arise from a premature enforcement if a court later decides the injunction was bogus. If Motorola wants to take that risk -- and it's a big one -- the company would have to pony up a security bond worth "hundreds of millions of euros."</p>
<p>Foss Patents had plenty more to say on the matter, which you can read <a href="http://www.fosspatents.com/2012/05/frand-abuse-german-court-hands-motorola.html">here</a>.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/motorola_convinces_german_court_ban_windows_7_xbox_360_console#commentscourtIEInternet Explorerlawlegalmicrosoftmotorola mobilitySoftwarewindows 7Windows Media PlayerwmpXbox 360NewsWed, 02 May 2012 12:51:02 +0000Paul Lilly23243 at http://www.maximumpc.comMicrosoft Readies Four Critical Patches for April Patch Tuesdayhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_readies_four_critical_patches_april_patch_tuesday
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u46168/tuesday.jpg" width="228" height="233" style="float: right;" />Microsoft will deliver six security bulletins on April 10, 2012 as part of its monthly security update, the Redmond-based company said in an <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms12-apr">advance notification</a> Thursday. The six security bulletins will, between them, address 11 vulnerabilities in Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, SQL Server. .NET Framework and Forefront Unified Access Gateway. Hit the jump for more.</p>
<p>While the number of security bulletins scheduled for this month’s Patch Tuesday is the same as last month, the number of those rated “critical” (Microsoft’s highest severity rating) is much higher. Where last month’s Patch Tuesday brought just one critical bulletin, this month’s update will include as many as four. The remaining two security bulletins are both rated “important.”</p>
<p>"Bulletin 1 will be the highest priority. It is a critical vulnerability affecting all versions of Internet Explorer (6,7,8,9) on their respective platforms XP, 2003, Win7 and 2008 both 32 and 64 bit,” <a href="http://blogs.csoonline.com/network-security/2120/patch-tuesday-preview-6-security-bulletins-11-vulnerabilities-4-critical">Qualys CTO Wolfgang Kandek told CSO’s Bill Brenner in an email.</a></p>
<p>But the one that stands out from the rest is Bulletin 4, which Kandek described as “challenging” in his email for the sheer number of applications it addresses. “It is critical and applies to all versions of Microsoft Office, but also to SQL Server and other Microsoft server products,” he said.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_readies_four_critical_patches_april_patch_tuesday#comments.NET FrameworkfixflawIEmicrosoftofficepatchPatch Tuesdaysecurity bulletinSoftwareSQL ServeruagvulnerabilityWindowsNewsFri, 06 Apr 2012 12:25:06 +0000Pulkit Chandna23073 at http://www.maximumpc.comGoogle Chrome Coughs Up Market Share for Second Consecutive Monthhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/google_chrome_coughs_market_share_second_consecutive_month
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/chrome_sad.jpg" width="228" height="229" style="float: right;" />Not a single month went by in 2011 in which Google's Chrome browser didn't grow its market share, and it's only moved in a backwards direction a few times since it was released nearly three and a half years ago in September 2008. At the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, Chrome accounted for 10.36 percent of all desktop browsers, compared to Firefox's 23.69 percent and Internet Explorer's 58.35 percent. By the time 2011 came to a close, Chrome had grabbed a 19.11 percent share of the market, compared with Firefox's 21.83 percent and IE's 51.87 percent. But so far in 2012, Chrome has only given up browser market share.</p>
<p>According to data by <a href="http://www.netmarketshare.com/browser-market-share.aspx?qprid=1&amp;qpcustomb=0&amp;qptimeframe=M&amp;qpsp=134&amp;qpnp=25">NetMarketShare</a>, Chrome's market share at the end of February 2012 stood at 18.90 percent, down from 18.94 percent in January 2012, which itself was down from December 2011. That's two consecutive months of losing market share, and as minor as those figures are, that's not something we've witnessed from Chrome before.</p>
<p>Other than Chrome's story line, February proved a mostly uneventful month. IE took a small step backwards, going from a 52.96 percent share in January 2012 to 52.84 percent in February 2012, while Firefox grew its share from 20.88 percent to 20.92 percent in the same time period. Apple's Safari browser also managed to attract a few new users, going from a 4.90 percent share to 5.24 percent share, while Opera inched forward from 1.67 percent to 1.71 percent.</p>
<p>Which browser(s) you find yourself using most often these days?</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/google_chrome_coughs_market_share_second_consecutive_month#commentsbrowserchromefirefoxGoogleIEInternetInternet ExplorermicrosoftMozillaonlineSoftwareNewsFri, 02 Mar 2012 15:00:45 +0000Paul Lilly22836 at http://www.maximumpc.comInternet Explorer Increases Market Share Lead Over Chrome, Firefox in January 2012http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/internet_explorer_increases_market_share_lead_over_chrome_firefox_january_2012
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/browses_pow.jpg" width="228" height="155" style="float: right;" />Google's Chrome browser failed to increase its market share last month for just the second time in two years, while Microsoft's Internet Explorer added more than a percentage point, according to data by NetMarketShare. That's not the start to 2012 Google was hoping for, though there are still reasons to be optimistic about Chrome's future.</p>
<p>This is just one month, after all, and Chrome dropping from 19.11 percent in December 2011 to 18.94 percent in January 2012 is not cause for panic. If we go back a full year to January 2011, Chrome's market share was sitting at 11.15 percent, and just 5.72 percent in February 2010, which is as far back as <a href="http://www.netmarketshare.com/browser-market-share.aspx?qprid=1&amp;qpcustomb=0&amp;qptimeframe=M&amp;qpsp=133&amp;qpnp=25">NetApplications allows us to look</a>.</p>
<p>Firefox also lost market share last month, dropping from 21.83 percent in December 2011 to 20.88 percent in January 2012. That's nearly a full percentage point, and it allowed Chrome to close the gap, despite losing share itself.</p>
<p>Internet Explorer emerged as the big winner, going from 51.87 percent in December 2011 to 52.96 in January 2012. It's actually the fifth time IE increased its share since February 2010 when it commanded 62.71 percent of the desktop browser market.</p>
<p>All this goes out the window if we look at market share numbers from <a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/">StatCounter</a>. According to StatCounter, IE's global market share dropped from 38.65 percent in December 2011 to 37.45 percent in January 2012, while Chrome increased its second place position from 27.27 percent to 28.4 percent during the same two-month period, with Firefox in third place sliding ever-so-slightly from 25.27 percent to 24.78 percent.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/internet_explorer_increases_market_share_lead_over_chrome_firefox_january_2012#commentsbrowserchromefirefoxGoogleIEInternet ExplorerMarket SharemicrosoftMozillaonlineSoftwareNewsFri, 03 Feb 2012 17:00:21 +0000Paul Lilly22547 at http://www.maximumpc.comTechnically Speaking, Chrome 15 is the World's Most Popular Browserhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/technically_speaking_chrome_15_worlds_most_popular_browser
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/chrome_ie_1.jpg" width="228" height="152" style="float: right;" />There are more people surfing the Web with various builds of Internet Explorer at this moment than there are for any other browser, which has been the case ever since Microsoft buried Netscape Navigator a long time ago. But if you want to talk about the world's most popular single browser build, that title now belongs to Google's Chrome 15, according StatCounter, a website analytics company.</p>
<p>StatCounter reports that in the last full week in November, Chrome 15 grew its worldwide market share to 23.6 percent, barely enough to edge out Internet Explorer 8 at 23.5 percent. IE still leads the aggregate and is ahead of Chrome (No. 2) and Firefox (No. 3), but the fact that the world's most popular single browser belongs to a company other than Microsoft is impressive, especially when you consider Chrome has only been around for a little over 3 years.</p>
<p>"Google announced Chrome for business exactly a year ago and IT administrators appear to have embraced it in a remarkably short time," <a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/press">commented Aodhan Cullen</a>, CEO, StatCounter. "Looking at the daily stats, Chrome 14 and 15 have been overtaking IE8 at weekends since the beginning of October. However, Chrome 15 overtook IE8 for the first time during the five day working week, in week commencing 5th December. It looks as if people favour Chrome on weekends at home but office commercial use has now caught up."</p>
<p>Chrome isn't quite as popular in the U.S. as it is around the world. In the U.S., IE8 is still the most popular single browser with a 27 percent share of the market for the week commencing December 5, 2011, compared to 18.1 percent for Chrome 15.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/technically_speaking_chrome_15_worlds_most_popular_browser#commentsbrowserchromechrome 15IEInternetInternet ExploreronlineSoftwarestatcounterNewsMon, 19 Dec 2011 14:32:16 +0000Paul Lilly21838 at http://www.maximumpc.comMicrosoft Epiphany: Silent Updates are Great, Coming to IE in Januaryhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_epiphany_silent_updates_are_great_coming_ie_january
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/ie_thumbnail.jpg" width="228" height="175" style="float: right;" />Starting next month, Microsoft will begin automatically upgrading some Windows users to the latest version of Internet Explorer available for their PCs, the Redmond software juggernaut <a href="http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie/archive/2011/12/15/ie-to-start-automatic-upgrades-across-windows-xp-windows-vista-and-windows-7.aspx">announced in a blog post</a> today. These silent updates are deemed an "important step in helping to move the Web forward," though consider this a trial run.</p>
<p>The silent updates will kick off in January for customers in Australia and Brazil only, and branch out to other markets over time. Microsoft didn't say when it plans to flip the automatic update switch specifically for Windows users living in the U.S.</p>
<p>"For consumers, the safety benefits are one of the key reasons that the industry has been moving towards automatic updates as <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/print/9220513/Mozilla_aims_to_add_silent_updating_to_Firefox_10">the norm</a>," Microsoft said. "This is increasingly important since the biggest online threat these days is <em>socially engineered malware</em>, which typically targets outdated software like Web browsers. The latest <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/oct11/10-11SIRZeroPR.mspx?rss_fdn=Custom">Microsoft Security Intelligence Report</a>, which is based on data from over 600 million systems in over 100 countries, is good reading to give you a sense of risks that stem from outdated software."</p>
<p>Microsoft isn't going to force automatic updates on anyone who doesn't want them. Organizations and individuals will have the option to opt-out and install an Automatic Update Blocker toolkit to prevent upgrades of IE. In addition, customers who declined previous installations of IE8 or IE9 through Windows Update will not be automatically updated, Microsoft said.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_epiphany_silent_updates_are_great_coming_ie_january#commentsbrowserIEInternetInternet ExplorermicrosoftonlineSecuritySoftwareupdatesNewsThu, 15 Dec 2011 15:01:38 +0000Paul Lilly21797 at http://www.maximumpc.comLong Time Coming: Google Chrome Leapfrogs Mozilla Firefox for First Timehttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/long_time_coming_google_chrome_leapfrogs_mozilla_firefox_first_time
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/browser_logos.jpg" width="228" height="154" style="float: right;" />At the rate things were going, it was only a matter of time before Google's Chrome browser skipped ahead of Mozilla Firefox, and according to at least one Web analytics company, it's finally happened. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who's paid attention to the browser market. Chrome has been gaining ground ever since it was released, while Firefox long appeared to plateau, and even fall back a step a time or two.</p>
<p>According to data from <a>StatCounter Global Stats</a>, Chrome now owns more than a quarter (25.69 percent) of the worldwide browser market. That's enough to edge out Firefox (25.23 percent), if only by a hair. Microsoft's Internet Explorer, meanwhile, still leads them all with a 40.63 percent share of the global market.</p>
<p>"We can look forward to a fascinating battle between Microsoft and Google as the pace of growth of Chrome suggests that it will become a real rival to Internet Explorer globally," commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter. "Our stats measure actual browser usage, not downloads, so while Chrome has been highly effective in ensuring downloads our stats show that people are actually using it to access the web also."</p>
<p>Things play out a little differently in the U.S. IE still holds the lead with a 50.66 share, but coming in second is Firefox with a 20.09 percent share (down from 26.75 percent), followed by Chrome with 17.3 percent (up from 10.89 percent). Safari is standing pat with a 10.76 percent share, up slightly from 10.71 percent.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/long_time_coming_google_chrome_leapfrogs_mozilla_firefox_first_time#commentsbrowserchromefirefoxGoogleIEInternetInternet ExplorermicrosoftMozillaonlineSoftwarestatcounterNewsThu, 01 Dec 2011 16:26:38 +0000Paul Lilly21581 at http://www.maximumpc.comInternet Explorer Slips Closer to 50 Percent Browser Market Sharehttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/internet_explorer_slips_closer_50_percent_browser_market_share
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/browsers.png" width="228" height="165" style="float: right;" />With few exceptions, Microsoft's share of the browser market has been steadily declining since at least November 2009, which is how far back Net Marketshare lets us look. Back then, Microsoft's Internet Explorer was the dominant browser on desktops with a 64.46 percent share. And today? It's still dominant with a 52.63 percent share of the market, but the gap is quickly narrowing.</p>
<p>At this point, it seems likely IE will eventually give up the lead, but to which browser? By the numbers, Mozilla's Firefox is the closest threat with a 22.51 percent share at the end of October, which is up slightly from 22.48 percent in September, but down from 25.05 percent in November 2009.</p>
<p>Google Chrome is where the smart money is at, at least if forced to pick an eventual winner today. Chrome has seen a greater than four-fold increase in usage since November 2009 when it held a 3.98 percent share, and with the exception of June 2010 to July 2010, has grown its desktop browser market share every single month. Chrome now accounts for 17.62 percent of all desktop browsers, an increase of 1.42 percentage points from one month prior.</p>
<p>Which browser(s) are you using these days?</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/internet_explorer_slips_closer_50_percent_browser_market_share#commentsbrowserchromefirefoxGoogleIEie9InternetInternet ExplorerMozillaSoftwareNewsTue, 01 Nov 2011 18:47:01 +0000Paul Lilly21122 at http://www.maximumpc.com